Australian superannuation fund NGS Super has agreed to be an anchor investor in specialist asset manager Gresham House’s Sustainable International Forestry Strategy Platform, as part of a €250 million first close.
The platform targets a diversified portfolio of productive, sustainably managed timberland and afforestation assets across Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Ireland and continental Europe.
Classified as Article 9 under Europe’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation, the fund is designed to capture long-term opportunities linked to inflation dynamics, while embedding ESG principles across the investment cycle, according to Gresham House.
“Sustainable forestry aligns with our objectives to achieve stable, risk-adjusted returns while contributing to global climate and biodiversity goals,” says Ben Squires, Chief Investment Officer, NGS Super, which manages assets worth US$15.12 billion.
Worcestershire Pension Fund was also announced as one of the other anchor investors.
Recent research from investment consultants bfinance found that real assets were a driver of institutional investor interest in private markets allocations. According to the firm’s latest Manager Intelligence and Market Trends report, private markets represented 52% of all new manager searches in the 12 months to September 2025.
At the asset class level, private real assets led activity, representing 24% of all mandates, “supported by investor demand for exposure to infrastructure, real estate, and natural capital strategies aligned with energy transition and digital infrastructure themes”.
As well addressing systemic climate and nature risks when managed sustainably, forestry has historically exhibited distinct characteristics compared with mainstream asset classes, notably inflation alignment, which have contributed to its role within diversified portfolios across multiple economic cycles.
The Sustainable International Forestry Strategy Platform also reflects the Gresham House Forestry Charter, which embeds ESG principles across the investment cycle, and ensures that each asset is managed for long-term ecological and community impact and benefit.
Gresham House’s forestry division manages over €4.1 billion in forestry assets globally and is the seventh largest forestry investment manager worldwide.
